Lockdown ends for three Tampa schools; gun recovered

Tampa police have recovered a weapon and announced that the lockdowns for several schools in east Tampa have been lifted.

The schools on lockdown were Ferrell Middle Magnet, Middleton High and Lomax Elementary. Schools on modified lockdown were Potter and Lockhart elementaries, and Young Middle School.

Police will remain at all of the schools until all students have left.

A school resource officer was directing traffic in front of Ferrell Middle at 2:57 p.m. when he heard shots, police said. He then saw two teenagers on a bicycle at East Chelsea Street and 25th Street.

The officer chased them, but they fled southbound on Chelsea. A second officer who was nearby saw them and also chased them. A teenage suspect riding on the handlebars jumped off the bicycle and ran between houses.

Officers responded to the scene and a perimeter was created to search the area.

At around 4:45 p.m., a police K9 unit found a weapon near a fence that a suspect jumped on 26th Street. The recently fired weapon had residue that attracted the canine, police said.